The Cost of Living

Day two of our national park tour did not actually feature a national park. Our bus has had some problems along the way, so the need to get it checked out, combined with some heavy driving time for Ken in our rented van led to the decision to stay out of the park.

Instead, we went white water rafting down the Yellowstone River, just outside of the park in Gardiner, Montana. Our route down the river took us along the border of the park, passed Mammoth Peak, Sepulcher Point, Electric Peak, and the Devil’s Slide as we paddled our way to the take out point.

After the rafting, we headed to Chico Hot Springs, a small vacation spot centered around a pool heated by geothermal hot springs. The group seemed to appreciate the chance to relax their muscles after 18 days of bus living. Topped off with dinner in Bozeman, the day was fairly relaxed.

Still, there’s a strange dichotomy to the tourism of national parks. Driven by the desire to preserve the beauty of nature and share it with the rest of the country and beyond, we have fenced in nature and started charging admission. It’s not quite up to the Joni Mitchell level of “paving paradise”, but it’s close.

It’s a theme we’ve seen throughout most of the nature parks, and really throughout most of the trip. A passion for a place, interest, or idea usually leads to ticket prices. Interesting, considering that most of the highlights for our group have been the free experiences.

It is entirely possible that our enthusiasm for free experiences is due to the fact that we are college students at a private university. But it seems like the atmosphere changes when the goal is not to make money. We’re more focused on the people we meet and the world around us when the primary goal is not how much money can be extracted from our pockets.

We’ve seen some of the simplest acts of community and generosity in family dinners with the Bhulas and the Silversmiths, in the work being done in St. Bernard Parish, and even within our own group. That’s not to discount the experiences we’ve had to pay for. I think we would all agree white-water rafting was worth the cost. Looking back on this trip, I know I’ll remember the Grand Canyon, and the Space Needle in Seattle, and Disneyland.

But I’ll remember the trips in the vans, swapping stories and music more. I’ll remember the hug Fannie Silversmith gave to me the night we left the Navajo reservation more. I’ll remember the moments of simple generosity more, because paradise isn’t something you can charge admission prices for.